Electropneumatic window control



Jan. 9, 1945. E. c. HoRToN ELECTRO-PNEUMATICI WINDOW CONTROL Filed Nov. 2s, 1942v NNW (TSIVENTO www I #agira/2..

Patented Jan. 9, 1945 l l 2,366,790. ELECTROPEUMATIC WINDOW CONTROL Erwin C. lHorton, Hamburg, N. Y., assigner to Trico Products Corporation, Builalo,`N. Y.

Application November 23, 1942, Serial No. 467,233

3 (llaims.

I This invention relates to a window system for motor vehicles and especially to the duid `type system wherein iiuid under pressure is utilized for actuating the individual window motors.

' It is the primary object of this invention to provide a window system having a practical arrangement of centralized and individual controls which will facilitate the installation `of the system in an automobile and render its operation emcient.

The invention further comprehends a Window system of the fluid type having a novel electropneumatic control which is simple and reliable in use.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a phantom view of the interiorof an automobile showing a window system embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the electro-pneumatic control with parts in elevation; and

of section displaced ninety degrees from. the

plane of section of Fig. 2 but slightly modified thereover.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawing the'numeral l designates the right front window and 2 the right rear window of an automobile remote from the drivers side. Each Window is guided in vertical Ways 3 and is equipped on its lower edge with a bracket 4 slidably connected to the arm 5 of a bell crank lever pivoted at B. is pivoted to the rod 8 of a piston 9 which operates in a chamber I9 to form therewith a iiuid motor. Fluid pressure for operating the several motors may be derived from the intake manifold as a. practcial source, from which leads. the pressure line Il including a reservoir I2 in communication with the control valve associated with each window motor. A check valve Il in the pressure line will act to conserve the supply of low pressure in the reservoir-.after the engine has come to rest.

The control valve is shown in detail in Fig. 2 wherein it will beobserved that the casing body II has a pressure supply passage I6 of T-form with the cross portion opening at its opposite ends through valve seats l1 into valve chambers I8. Opposing each suction seat or port is an atmospheric seat or port I9 on which a valve 20 is normally held engaged by a spring 2|. With the several ports in alinement the two valves in their respective chambers may be conveniently guided in their movements by a stem A22 ilxed to one valve and slidably supporting the other as- The other arm 1 of the bell crank shown in Fig. 2. This stem also may :serve to support the expansive coiled spring 2l within the cross portion of the supply passage. A motor passage 23 extends laterally from each valve chamber and is connected by conduits 24 to a respective end4 of the motor chamber so thatby properly manipulating a vselected one of the valves 20 the motor may be operated. In this present disclosure the valves normally maintain suction on both sides of the piston and when either valve is depressed it vents its side to the atmosphere.

To depress each valve a depressing member 25 may be lslidably guided on the casing I5 and formed to overhang e, stem 26 on the valve. A common and local actuator 21 has spaced connecting pins 28 engaging in slots 29 to provide aplay connection permitting selective depression of either valve independently of the other. A lter pad 30 cleans the air before entering the vports I9. By simply shifting the actuator up or down the selected valve will close off the normal suction communication and vent the respective side of the motor chamber to unbalance and actuate the piston.

'I'her pneumatic control may be mounted on the respective door, or adjacent body portion of the vehicle, to be accessible to the nearby passenger. For a remote operation, accessible to the person driving the vehicle, a remote and electric control is combined with the penumatic. To this end an electromagnet 3| may be arranged to have its core'or armature 32 act on the stem 2B or from the depressingmernber 25 by an insert 33. A battery 34, as a source of electric energy, is connected in circuit to a switch 35 on the instrument board of the vehicle, the circuit wiring for the right rear window being indicated at 36. A switch 31 and circuit wiring 38 control the left rear window (not shown), while a switch 39 and circuit wiring 49 may be provided for the right front window. In this connection it may be mentioned that the penumatic control I 5' (Figs. l and 3)-may be actuated by a local individual switch 4| in lieu of the actuator slide 21 and arranged in parallel circuit with the main switch '39. Such a substitution will enable the pneumatic controls being disposed closer to the motor and in which event the depressing members 25 may be dispensed with, as shown in Fig. 3. The electromagnet is mounted in the line of valve movement by a supporting member 42 which may be engaged in a seat in the casinlll.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the pneumatic control may be operated from a cene trai station on the instrument board, where it is accessible to the driver oi the vehicle, or it may be individually operated by the occupant of the adjacent seat. The remote electric operation facilitates the installation of the system in the vehicle while still retaining the advantages oi the uid operation. The iiuid control unit is placed on the door along with the iuid motor and the local actuator 2l, di, and consequently there is only a single fluid line to be carried from the door to the source of uid pressure since the remote control is electric.

The foregoing description has been given in detail for clearness of disclosure and not by way of limitation since the inventive principles may assume other physical embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope herein claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. An electro-pneumatic control comprising a casing body having spaced valve chambers in the opposite ends thereof with an interposed connecting passage, a valve in each chamber independently movable on a common axis and having a, stem extending. away from the companion valve, electromagnets mounted on the opposite ends of the body and engaging the adjacent stems for selective actuation of the respective valves, and a manual control means comprising an actuator common to both valves and relatively movable parts interposed between the magnets and aeeavoo the stems to depress the latter independently of the magnets, said actuator being joined to the relatively movable parts by' play connections which permit electro-magnetic operation of the valves independently of the manual actuator.

2. An electro-pneumatic control of the class described, comprising a casing body with spaced valve means therein, manual actuator means common to both valve means and operable to selectively actuate either valve means, and electromagnetic means for each valve means having a lost motion connection with a part of the manual actuator means to actuate the respective valve means independently of the latter.

3. An electro-pneumatic control of the class described, comprising a casing body with normally closed valve means therein, a pair of depressing members one for each valve means slidably mounted on the body for movement toward and from the companion member and engaging its valve means to open the same, electro-magnetic v means for each valve means operable to actuate the respective depressing member, a manual actuator common to both depressing members and slidably mounted on the body, and a play connection between the actuator and each depressing member enabling selective manual operation of both depressing members and electromagnetic ently of the manual actuator.

ERWIN C. HORTON. 

